Coin controlled dispensing apparatus



May 17, 1938. LOHN 2,117,437

I COIN CONTROLLED DISPENSING APPARATUS Original Filed Aug. 29, 1936 INVENTOR. J PE TEE Z O/v A/ BY M A TTORNEYS Patented May 17, 1938 PATENT OFFIQE COIN CONTROLLEDTIIIGISPENSING APPARA- Peter Lohn, New York, N. Y.

Application August 29, 1936, Serial No. 98,482 Renewed October 16, 1937 4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in dispensing apparatus and has particular reference to a coin controlled mechanism therefor.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus of simple and practical construction in which the plunger of a dispensing device, which is used to control the discharge of a measured quantity of material from a re ceptacle, is normally locked against operations by a locking member actuated, by the deposit of a coin into the apparatus, to release said plunger so that said material can be discharged, the restoration of said locking member to its operative position being under the control of said plunger.

The above and other objects will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the dispensing apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof, partly broken away and shown in section.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section illustrating the coin controlled mechanism, the locking member of said mechanism being shown in its inoperative position in dotand-dash lines.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary horizontal section through the apparatus, and

Figure 5 is a detailed view partly in plan and partly in section, showing the manner of retaining the locking member of the coin controlled mechanism in its inoperative position.

The features of the present invention are applicable to various types of plunger-operated devices especially suitable for installation in public places and utilized to dispense measured quantities of liquid skin lotions, perfumes, soaps and the like by the deposit of a coin into the apparatus.

As shown in its preferred form, the invention comprises a casing 6 having a hinged cover I locked at 8 and adapted to be opened for the insertion of a receptacle 9 containing the material to be dispensed, the front of the casing being provided with an opening Ill through which a portion of the receptacle is visible so that the nature of its contents can be determined.

Adjacent the bottom of the casing 6 there is mounted a dispensing device by means of which a measured quantity of material may be discharged from the receptacle 9 through the bottom of the casing. This device is shown as comprising a nipple II adapted to receive the open end of the receptacle 9 and having a discharge outlet IZ therein through which the material in the receptacle will flow. Mounted for sliding movement in the nipple II transverse tothe outlet I2 therein is a plunger I3 extending forwardly from the nipple and through the front of the casing 5 so that the head of the plunger can be depressed when it is desired to discharge some of the contents of the receptacle 9. The plunger I3 is maintained in its normal position, as shown in Figure 2, by a coil spring I4 engageable with the inner end of said plunger and l in such position a port I5 in the inner hollow end of the plunger I3 is in registration with the upper portion of the discharge outlet I2 in the nipple so as to permit of a quantity of the contents of the receptacle 9 to flow into the hollow portion of the plunger, the amount of such material being measured by the size of said hollow portion. At a point ofiset from the port I5 a distance equal to the extent of movement of the plunger I3 when the same is depressed, said plunger is provided with a second port I6 normally closed by a portion of the nipple so that the contents of the plunger will not escape, but adapted to align with the lower portion of the discharge outlet I2 when the plunger is depressed so that the measured quantity of material in the plunger will then permit it to flow through the port I6 and the lower portion of the nipple. When the plunger is so depressed, the port I5 is out of registration with the upper portion of the discharge outlet sothat communication between the plunger and the receptacle 9 is shut off until the plunger has been restored to its normal position by the spring l4 which is put under tension when the plunger is depressed.

The coin controlled mechanism of the present invention is designed to cooperate with the plunger I3 to maintain the same in its normal position until a coin is deposited, at which time the plunger is released so that it can be depressed to discharge a quantity of the material from the container 9 by the registration of the port I6 with the outlet I2. As shown, said mechanism comprises a coin chute I'I secured to the interior of the front wall of the casing 6 and having its lower end terminating over a coin box I8 slidably mounted in a side wall of the casing and held therein against unauthorized entry by a lock conventionally indicated at I9. Depending from the lower end of the chute I1 is a supporting arm 20 to which is pivoted at 2| a locking member generally indicated by the numeral 22. This locking member is in the form of an angular lever consisting of the coin-tripping portion 23 and the plunger-locking portion 24. The pivot 2| of the locking member is so situated that the lever is unbalanced with the greater part of the weight thereof in the locking portion 24 so that said member will normally assume the full-line position of Figure 3 in which an edge of the lower extremity of said portion 24 engages in a recess or notch 25 formed in one side of the plunger l3, thereby locking the latter against movement in an inward direction. The trip portion 23 of the locking member is provided with an inclined surface disposed directly beneath the lower end of the chute I! so that when a coin is dropped into said chute the same will contact the portion 23 to rock the member 22 about its pivot to the dotted-line position of Figure 3 with the result that the locking portion 24 'will be disengaged from the recess 25 in the plunger so that the latter can be depressed. Means are provided for retaining the locking member in the operated position just described until such time when the plunger has been depressed to release the material contained therein. This means is preferably in the form of a spring catch 26 having one end secured to the depending arm 20 adjacent the lower end thereof, the catch being so disposed relative to the locking portion 24 that when the latter is swung to its releasing position it will engage behind the shoulder 27 of said spring catch, as shown in Figure 5, and be held in such position until the catch is actuated to release the looking member. This latter operation is accomplished by means of a projection in the form of a pin 28 carried by the plunger l3 and adapted, at the termination of the inward movement of said plunger, to contact an intermediate portion of the catch 26 and bend the same inwardly so that the shoulder 2! thereof will disengage from the locking portion 24. The latter then swings toward its normal operative position until it contacts the plunger l3 where it is held until said plunger is released and restored to its normal position by the spring l4. At the termination of the return movement of said plunger, its recess 25 will again become aligned with the portion 24 and the latter will drop into said recess to again lock the plunger in its normal position.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a dispensing device including a plunger operable to discharge material from a receptacle, a locking member normally retaining said plunger against operation, a chute for directing a coin into contact with said looking member to move the same to an inoperative position, so that said plunger can be operated, means to retain said locking member in the latter position, and means actuated by said plunger to render said retaining means ineffective.

2. In combination, a dispensing device including a reciprocatory plunger operable to discharge material from a receptacle and having a recess therein, a pivoted locking member having an arm normally engaging in said recess to prevent operation of said plunger, a chute for directing a coin into contact with said locking member to move the same to an inoperative position whereby said plunger can be operated, retaining means for said locking member releasably holding the same in its inoperative position, and means on said plunger to actuate said retaining means to release said locking member.

3. In combination, a dispensing device including a reciprocatory plunger operable to discharge material from a receptacle and having a recess therein, a pivoted locking member having an arm normally engaging in said recess to prevent operation of said plunger, a chute for directing a coin into contact with said locking member to move the same to an inoperative position whereby said plunger can be operated, a spring catch with which the arm of said locking member is engageable so that the member is held in an inoperative position during a portion of the operation of said plunger, and a pin on said plunger contacting said catch at the termination of the movement of said plunger in one direction to release the catch from said locking member to permit restoration thereof to its normal position upon the return movement of said plunger.

4. In combination, a dispensing device including a reciprocatory plunger operable to discharge material from a receptacle and having a recess therein, a coin chute having a supporting arm, an angular locking member pivoted to said arm and having a portion aligned with said chute so as to be contacted and rocked about its pivot by a coin in said chute, said member having another portion normally engaged in said recess to prevent operation of said plunger and movable to an inoperative position when the member is rocked, a spring catch also carried by said arm and engaged by the second named portion of said locking member to releasably retain the same in its inoperative position, and a projection on said plunger contacting said catch when the plunger is moved in one direction to thereby release said locking member for movement toward its operative position.

PETER LOHN. 

